


My Prince

by BlossomingDia



Series: Addictions [4]
Category: NCT (Band), Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, Control, Friends to Lovers, Jealousy, M/M, Master/Servant, Minor Character Death, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Possessive Behavior, Prince Lee Taeyong, Taeyong is Spoiled
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-29
Updated: 2019-09-20
Packaged: 2020-05-30 18:58:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19409398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlossomingDia/pseuds/BlossomingDia
Summary: Quite accidentally, Johnny finds himself as the servant to a prince. Yet, the change in their friendship as they grow up could change everything.





	1. Chapter 1

“Come back here young man!” Came the shout as the child dashed out of the kitchen and took off down the winding corridors of the palace with the bread clutched in his grasp. A sound came from behind him and instinctively he turned to look back at the distance of his pursuers, barely noticing the figure coming towards him until the two collided with a loud shriek. Johnny whipped around to see the figure of a another child sat in front of him. The other child was smaller than him by about a head but was dressed splendidly; his shirt was long and blue with buttons inlaid with sapphires and a white collar that was ruffled with lace, his legs were covered with long socks and shorts and on top of his black hair sat a little hat. His face was irritated as the other servants scrambled to help him up from the floor and set his clothes right again, though he pushed through the crowd of panicked adults to stand toe to toe with Johnny who stared down at him. 

“Who’s this?” He said, looking Johnny up and down with a grimace. 

“A servant, my prince.” One of the men said as he rushed to the child’s side “Please excuse his insolence.”

“Well he should apologise to me!” 

Johnny couldn’t help the scoff that came out of his mouth as he stared the prince down “I’m not gonna apologise when you were the one who walked into me!”

The boy’s eyes narrowed “Don’t you know who I am? You should treat me with more respect, after all I’ll rule this kingdom one day.”

“I don’t care who you are, you should be the one to apologise to me-“

“Johnny!” Came a shout of panic as his mother rushed to his side and quickly pushed him out of the way of the prince then fell to her knees with her forehead pressed to the floor “My prince, please forgive my son’s insolence, he’s not yet learned to have manners like your majesties.”

The prince sniffed again but nodded and without another word, walked around his mother and continued on his path, though Johnny noticed how he turned back with a little smile on his face before turning back to his attendant. His mother was frantic as she dragged him back to the servant’s quarters and sat him at the table to begin her tirade about respect as she busied herself with making dinner yet as she was about to set out the meal, they were interrupted by a knock at the door and found one of the royal attendants waiting by the door with a look of impatience. 

“His majesty Prince Taeyong has requested the presence of your son.”

He slammed his hands on the table and looked between his mother and the attendant with an indignant expression “I’m not going! He’s a total brat and he’s just gonna rub my face in the fact that he’s a prince!” 

Again, his protests were met with nothing but a grimace from his mother who settled her hand on the small of his back and drove him towards the attendant with a whispered warning “If the prince wants something from you Johnny, you have to listen or else we’ll both be in trouble. Remember: anything your prince wants, your prince must get. Are we clear?”

"Yes, mother.”

Without another word, he followed after the attendant who guided him from the servants quarters through to the inner most chambers of the castle where the royals lived but as they reached a room, the man stopped and motioned for the child to enter, taking up a position outside of the door and not moving an inch as Johnny hesitated outside the door then entered. The room was grand, made up of three rooms that were joined together to form a suite of sorts. The first of the rooms was an entry way with a dining table laid out with every sort of food imaginable for the young prince who sat at the head of it looking bored as he picked at the pile of food in front of him before straightening up upon noticing Johnny. He motioned for Johnny to sit in the seat next to him at the table as he shovelled more food into his mouth and Johnny did so without complaint, sitting silently and watching with an ache in his stomach as the young prince ate plate after plateful of food. 

“What do you need, my prince?” he sighed “I have things to do later.”

“Do you have duties?” He asked curiously as he bit into a piece of chicken “You seem too young to have duties like the other servants.”

“Yes. I attend to your sister and help with grooming her horse.”

Taeyong nodded once and picked up the chalice that sat next to the plate, taking a drink before setting it down with a smile. “Well, that’s good then. I’ve decided that from now on you’ll be my new play mate and since you only have menial duties, you’ll dedicate yourself to only my servitude and will be with me all the time.” 

“And what if I don’t want to be your play mate?”

“Do you have a choice?”

Gritting his teeth he nodded in acknowledgement and stood to bow to the prince “Of course your highness, what you want, you’ll have.”

Taeyong tutted “Don’t be like that, I picked you because I think you’re interesting so don’t be uptight and stuffy like the other servants.” 

Another nod. The taller boy turned to leave but was interrupted by a little cough “I didn’t say that you were allowed to leave. You’ll spend some time with me once I’ve finished my dinner, now come and sit down and have something. I know that the servants dont get much food, and if you stole the bread from the kitchen you must be hungry.”

With a thankful little smile, Johnny reclaimed his spot next to the prince and took a little bit of food onto his plate, trying to ignore the burning gaze of the prince as he did so. 


	2. Chapter 2

As the other servant’s children grew up to become servants themselves, or knights, Johnny grew to become Taeyong’s attendant while still formally being the Royal Play Mate. Their routine was the same for years; every morning he would wake the prince up, help him to bath and dress then they would spend the day satisfying his every whim whether it be painting or reading or baking. Every Wednesday, they would have a special day where attractions from the village would be brought up for the enjoyment of the prince and his play mate who were prohibited from leaving the castle grounds. It was an enjoyable life, and Johnny found himself being content with it for many years as he became closer with Taeyong.

Then their teenage years hit, and with Taeyong’s increasing absence as he had to learn about his duties in preparation for becoming King, Johnny found himself becoming increasingly bored. He had no duties but attending to Taeyong’s wishes and no servant was willing to invest time into becoming his friend or teaching him new duties when their prince remained curled around him like a dragon with a stack of gold. Occasionally, his mother would usher him into the bedrooms to help with the cleaning of the Princess’ chambers but there would be no chat that had become commonplace amongst other servants.

“Have you heard that there’s going to be a dance tonight in the town square?” One of the guards outside of the bedroom muttered to the other, not noticing how Johnny leaned a little closer to listen “It’s the 25th anniversary of the King’s reign so they’re holding a huge party.”

“Are you gonna go to it?” 

“Obviously! That girl that we met last time is gonna be there so had to get the night off to go-“ Their conversation was cut short by the shouting voice of the prince, and one of them leaned to knock the door of the bedroom, indicating that it was time for Johnny to continue with his regular duties. Taeyong was waiting for him in his bedroom with his boots off, and b y reflex Johnny fell to his knees and began to rub his feet as the prince laid back on the bed and sighed as he stared up at the ceiling. 

“Have my robes been delivered?” 

“Of course, your highness.” 

“How many times have I got to tell you, we’ve been friends for eight years now so you can just call me Taeyong when we’re alone.” His voice was irritated as he spoke and Johnny smiled at the idea that his brow was probably creased in the way it did when he was annoyed “The ball is going to suck, I can already tell… But it’ll be better if you’re there with me.”

Johnny allowed himself to smile again “Actually, I’m not feeling good so I was wondering if you would give me the evening off so I could rest up a little bit?”

“Sick? Have you been coughing? I heard that there’s been an outbreak of tuberculosis in the town, have you been coughing? I’ll have my physician come and examine you-“ Taeyong said as he bolted upright.

“Taeyong, I’m fine. I’m having some stomach pain but I promise I’ll be fine to attend to you tomorrow.”

“That’s not why I’m asking” He said with a wrinkle of concern in his brow “But yes, you can take the night off so you can feel better.”

“Thank you Taeyong. Now come on and I’ll get you dressed, the ball starts in half an hour and you need to be ready to greet your guests.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll send for one of the other servants to help me, you go and focus on resting up a little and if I have time after the ball I’ll come and check on you.” Johnny stood, repressing his smile and bowed to his prince before leaving and heading straight back to his bedroom where he began to dig through the trunk of clothes to find something appropriate to wear, eventually settling on a simple shirt, vest and trousers before heading out of the castle and into the village. The square was alive with noise and colour with paper garlands and lanterns strung up over their heads as people gathered in the centre of the square to dance. Quickly, Johnny made his way over to one of the tables on the far side of the square and poured himself a drink as he watched the dancing, only dragging his eyes away when he heard someone next to him clear his throat. “Johnny, right?” The man said with a grin as he moved in closer. 

“Yeah that’s right, and you are…?” 

“Jaehyun, you can just call me Jae if you’d like, I work in the stables looking after his highness' horse. It’s a surprise to see you here! Did the little prince finally let you off your leash?”

“He doesn’t know that I’m here actually… I was supposed to be attending a ball for the King’s anniversary but I said I was sick so I could come here.”

Jaehyun laughed as he picked up a bit of food and put it into his mouth, then grabbed the other man’s hand and dragged him into the middle of the square where the dancing had begun to pick up. Finding himself dragged into the rhythm and the motion of the dance, Johnny allowed himself to really let go and enjoy just being there with the other man as time seemed to slip by quickly. One dance turned to two, two to three, and after the fifth dance Johnny stopped keeping track entirely. As the last beat of the final song swelled to a close Johnny found himself with his face barely an inch away from the other servant’s and with a burst of courage leaned forwards to press their lips together, finding himself pleasantly surprised when the man began to reciprocate enthusiastically. 

With a whispered “Wanna get out of here?” The two servants found themselves stumbling back up the path towards the castle as they shared heated kissed. 

“My room or yours?” Jaehyun asked as his hand wandered up the taller’s shirt and rested against his stomach while his mouth worked on sucking dark bruises into the skin of his neck.

“Mine. There’s more room.”

They shared a giddy laugh as they stumbled through the corridors and finally pushed through the doors to Johnny’s bedroom to find some one sat waiting under the light of a single lamp. Johnny felt a flush of red creep into his cheeks as he made eye contact with the furious looking prince Taeyong. 


	3. Chapter 3

He didn’t sleep at all that night. Every time that his eyes closed he could see the look of fury on the prince’s face and he would be invaded by intrusive thoughts that warned him that that was going to be the end for himself and his mother in the employment of the royal family. Jaehyun had made himself scarce as soon as he’d seen the evil look that Taeyong had given him, and the prince himself had left shortly after the fact without another to Johnny who pleaded with him to listen, only to receive an icy glare.

The attendant came to get him at six o’clock with a sharp knock on the door and when Johnny threw it open he half expected it to be Taeyong coming to yell at him as he did when he was displeased. “His highness has requested that you join him for a picnic this afternoon.” The attendant informed him “He said that he’ll have other servants attend to him until then, so you should work with the kitchen staff to prepare an adequate picnic.” 

“What?”

“He wants a picnic, Johnny. You gotta go help make the picnic.” The attendant went to leave but stopped as Johnny called out to him. 

“Is he angry with me?” He asked, voice laced with uncertainty.

“Well, he didn’t sleep at all last night and now he wants a picnic. You know he hates picnics. What do you think?” 

He tutted as he walked away, and Johnny could only sigh as he pulled his clothes on and set out to the kitchen where he worked dutifully and silently as the other kitchen staff chatted around him. “So the prince is mad huh?” One of the female staff whispered as he set about packing the sandwiches into the basket. 

“Yeah. I don’t know what to do about it either…”

The woman cast a sideways glance and a smile in his direction “Well, when the princess is unhappy with me I simply grovel at her feet and beg for forgiveness. It makes them feel powerful, so they’re likely to forgive you.”

Johnny nodded and picked up the basket then headed out to the front of the castle where the prince was waiting. The two of them were silent as they walked through the grounds to a little field. Taeyong settled under a tree, perched delicately on a blanket embossed with the royal crest with an unreadable expression “Sit on the blanket Johnny, I brought it out for us to sit on something comfortable instead of the ground.”

Johnny shuffled onto the blanket and pulled the first plate out of the basket to serve up a portion of the picnic food, Taeyong accepted it with a small smile and for a long minute they ate in complete silence before Johnny decided to speak, feeling a little hesitant as he did so “My prince. I’m sorry if I hurt you by what I did last night, I never meant to hurt you by deceiving you and I promise it’ll never happen again.” He knelt and pressed his head to the floor, waiting patiently for a word of forgiveness but instead only being met with a sigh. 

“You don’t need to grovel like that. I was hurt by what happened, but not because you lied to me about being sick because I know that you must be bored not being allowed to leave the castle so I get why you would wanna go out for once.” His face flushed slightly as he looked away from Johnny’s eyes “Look, Johnny I have to tell you this now! I’ve been wondering whether I should say something for a long time and after last night I just feel that I’ve got to say something! Johnny, I-“

There was a flash of movement that caught his eye in the bushes behind the prince and squinted briefly, seeing the shape of a person lifting a bow and arrow ready to fire directly at the prince and with a shout of alarm to the guard, Johnny pushed the prince to the ground covering his with his own body as more guards swarmed out of the castle gates to seize the man as his arrow buried itself in the tree where Taeyong’s head had been moments before. Taeyong’s pupils seemed to dilate quickly as his breath puffed against Johnny’s face and for a moment he seemed completely starstruck. 

“You saved me…” he whispered breathlessly.

“Well I didn’t really-“

“You saved me, Johnny.” Taeyong sat up, and they hovered an inch away from each other as the air became heavy and charged with tension. Quickly, the prince pushed forwards and pressed their lips together, allowing his eyes to slip closed as he enjoyed the feeling of his friend’s lips against his own. They separated at the sound of a throat clearing and looked up to find the figure of the queen looming over them with her face twisted into a saccharine sweet smile as the two sprung apart. 

“I’m very glad that you’re safe Taeyong. I’d very much like to thank your attendant here for his bravery in saving your life.” She said as her eyes darted between the two of them. 

Taeyong was pale as he rose onto his knees and knelt in front of his mother “Mother, I’m sorry-“

“Enough, Taeyong.” She turned to Johnny “Come with me young man.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, I'm sorry for the extended absence again. The quick explanation is that what my doctor thought was pneumonia ended up being tuberculosis and I've had to have treatment for it. It's probably been the worst experience of my life so far, but I'm getting better and I'm not infectious anymore which means that there'll hopefully be consistent updates again. 
> 
> Thank you for your continued support!


	4. Chapter 4

Taeyong had been pacing relentlessly since his mother had escorted Johnny through to her personal sitting room despite the pleas of his attendants to sit down and enjoy a cup of tea or one of the snacks that they had produced from the kitchen. He couldn’t eat. He couldn’t sit down. He couldn’t even consider doing anything except wondering what was happening inside that room. The door clicked open and he rushed to the door, hoping to interrogate Johnny about his conversation with the queen but instead being faced with his stony faced mother who looked down at him with a blank expression.

“Mother? What’s going on?” He asked attentively “Where’s Johnny?”

A little smile quirked at the edges of her lips as she gestured for him to follow after her, with him doing so after a little hesitation. The walk through to the garden was silent, as were most of his brief interactions with his mother, though under his silence he could feel rage beginning to build to its crescendo “Mother! Just tell me where Johnny is!” He shouted.

“That young man was very brave in what he did today,” She said coolly as she observed him from the corner of her eye “So I decided that it would be best for him to be in a more suitable position, and so he’s been sent to train with the other soldiers until he’s ready to be sent to the front lines of the war in order to use his bravery to protect our people.”

Feeling the sickness rising in his chest and the numb feeling running through his head, Taeyong allowed his hands to seek the bench pulling his body along with them. “But he’ll die if he goes out to the front lines, you know that!” He muttered.

“It’s the price of his actions.”

“For what actions? Allowing me to kiss him? Allowing me to love him?”

“Allowing you to be in danger, yet being willing to die to protect you.” She said firmly. “He made his choice and chose to protect you, and that is all he can give you. He had no title, or name, nor anything else that he could offer you – his prince.”

The prince slumped back onto the bench and sat in stunned silence as he watched his mother nonchalantly inspect the rose bushes. “I don’t care.” He whispered, watching how his mother turned to look at him out of the corner of her eye “I don’t care if he has nothing to offer me, I know the way that I feel and how he feels about me so if I had to give all of this up to be with him-“

She laughed quietly interrupting his words as she progressively became louder then lifted a finger to swipe away a tear that had formed in the corner of her eye “Have you disillusioned yourself into thinking that he loves you?”

“He does love me!” 

“Then why did he not try harder when I said that he was going to serve in the war? Why did he not express that he wanted to stay for you?”

“I-“

“Its because he’s never really felt that way for you Taeyong, you’ve deceived yourself into believing that he feels that way for you. In reality, he thinks that you’re a tyrant.”

“He would never say that –“

“You’ve kept him prisoner in this castle for years, limiting his contact with the outside for your own selfish want to keep him close because you’re afraid that he would be interested in someone other than the prince who he had to give up his life and his freedom for.” She walked closer and grasped his chin lightly between her thumb and forefinger and tutted pityingly “Now, you’ll listen to me. You will forget all about your silly feelings for that boy. You’ll resume your duties as prince, without another complaint or any more disrespect. When the time comes, you’ll marry someone who your father and I choose for you without any more thought on that boy or what he’s doing. Are we clear?”

Taeyong nodded once as he tried to supress the shaking of his lip as he returned to the castle and threw himself down on his bed where he began to weep inconsolably with very little comfort from his servants who gathered around him and attempted to help him in his heartbreak. They gave up after a while and left the prince to cry in the presence of his sister’s servant, Seulgi, who looked on with a look of pity. “My prince,” She said quietly as she settled onto the edge of the bed and rubbed his spasming back “I know that we’re under orders not to speak to you about Youngho’s departure, but I think you should know that he might possibly be in training at the military base on the outskirts of the city where they train the soldiers for deployment to the war. You might be able to find him in the third barrack if you went there, but that’s all hearsay.” He glanced up at her with wet eyes as she rose and curtseyed to him “I have to go to attend to your sister now, so don’t get any ideas about leaving when your unattended.” She winked at him.

“Why are you telling me this?” He asked quietly.

“I know what it’s like to be separated from the one you love. They sent Sooyoung away to another country to be a lady in waiting to another princess when they discovered us together. She came back of course, but I know how it feels…” Her voice became soft as she trailed off to look down into the garden with an undeniably adoring expression “Now, I have things to attend to. Goodbye my prince.” 

He was out of the door with his cloak and money mere moments after she departed and pretended not to hear the emergency siren going off as he fled from the castle and set off through the town. 


	5. Chapter 5

He slipped onto the base silently and began heading towards the barracks, counting them off in his head before heading towards the third one and trying the door, finding it locked tightly. With a sigh of annoyance he glanced around for any sign of others that might disturb him then knelt down to begin working on the lock which clicked open with a little disturbance. The beds were labelled meticulously with the names of the soldiers – Kwon, Kim, Na, Moon, Park, Sa, Seo…

He stopped at the bed and quickly picked up the file attached to the rails, turning white as he saw the bright red stamp across his profile with the words “Deployed” which sent his head swimming as he snatched up other profiles and found them all marked with “Deployed” despite having no recorded training in their profiles. He sank down onto the bed with his face in his hands and began to cry anew, knowing in his heart that Johnny was sent out to the war for pointless slaughter instead of fighting for their kingdom and his honour as his mother had suggested to appease him. Slumping back onto the cushion he felt something sharp under his head and paused, reaching under the pillow to retrieve the object and finding it to be a piece of paper which had been folded in on itself to protect its contents with the word ‘Taeyong’ written on the front of it in sloping script. He unfolded it and began to read it’s content: 

_‘Dear Taeyong,_

_I hope that this letter will reach you and will bring you some comfort, as I have no doubt that you would have come looking for me for the purpose of running away or some similar action. I have no doubt that your mother anticipated this as well. I have someone scribing this for me, so that it will be readable and will be able to bring you comfort in my absence._

_Have no doubt about that kiss Taeyong. I know that if we hadn’t been interrupted by your mother then you would have found that kiss returned as enthusiastically as it was given. Have no doubt that your love was returned, and that I will continue to have love for you until the day that I perish at which point I’ll continue to love you from where ever it is that you go when you die. Knowing this I want you to continue on with your life, doing as your mother tells you to do and fulfilling the duty that you’ve been given as doing so will ensure that your kingdom will become a place where people like us are safe to exist and love one another._

_I’m sorry that this is short, but I fear that if I keep going for much longer then we’re going to get caught writing this and will die before we even reach the war. Stay safe. Enjoy the rest of your life and live with happiness._

_With all my love,_

_Johnny.’ ___

__

__His moment of tearful sniffing was interrupted as a siren began to blare outside of the barrack and the sound of shouting filled his ears along with the sound of the doors of the neighbouring barracks being kicked. With a jump, the cushion slipped onto the floor and Taeyong quickly leaned to pick it up raising an eyebrow at a small metallic object that lay just behind the bedpost where it would be hidden out of sight by soldiers inspecting the barrack. He picked it up and held it up into the light to inspect it then let out a gasp as he realised what is was and slipped it onto his wrist quickly before shoving the letter into his pocket, he headed towards the door as the clang of the barrack next door got his attention and with his hood pulled over his head he tried to creep away from the scene._ _

__

__As soon as he opened the door he was met with a dozen soldiers with guns pointed in his face and commands for him to get on his knees with his hands over his head. He fell onto his knees and closed his eyes as he lifted his hands over his head and felt the cold press of the sword against his neck. He breathed deeply as he waited for them to strike him and focused only on the heavy weight of the bracelet around his wrist. The sword rose and swung down on him as his hood slipped back and a shout resonated through the camp._ _

__

__“WAIT!”_ _


	6. Chapter 6

He’d been dragged back to the palace immediately and as he was thrown onto the throne room floor by the guards he dared to look up into the face of his furious mother who glared down at him from her position on the throne. He considered hanging his head and grovelling at her feet, knowing that it would be what would make her happy but instead he glared right back at her as she descended and raised her hand which made contact with his cheek as she leaned over him. “You’re stupid for a prince, Taeyong. Did you think that we wouldn’t notice that you ran off? That we wouldn’t find you?” 

He stayed silent but maintained his wilful gaze. His mother sighed and gestured for him to follow as she walked out onto the balcony that overlooked the courtyard and waited for him to follow, waving her hand as he joined her in time to see the bodies of Seulgi and Sooyoung slump to the floor with red pools growing around their head. With a scream, he collapsed forwards and found purchase on the railing as his mother stood over him with a blank expression and spoke again “Listen to me now. You’re going to forget these childish notions. In a week, you’re going to be coronated and you’ll ascend to the throne as the new king and you’ll marry someone that we choose for you. Do you understand that?”

“I understand.” He whispered as she pulled him to his feet and his face fell completely blank. 

For the first time, she smiled at him and walked him back to his chamber and sat on a chair to watch as the royal tailor set about measuring him for his coronation robes. When they were done, he paused at his bed side table where a picture of him and Johnny sat staring back at him with bright smiles and picking it up the tears welled in the corners of his eyes before he threw it at the wall with a scream of anguish. There was no stopping it once he began and without the constraint of his mother hanging over him he flew through the room and destroyed everything in his path with cries of pain and heartbreak as the images of Johnny and Seulgi and Sooyoung danced over his eyelids as he collapsed to the floor. 

A week later when he was coronated the kingdom rejoiced unaware of the tyranny that existed inside of the palace walls. The coronation went off without an issue and with a hardened heart, King Taeyong ascended to the throne. 


	7. Chapter 7

The attendants had scuttled away as soon as his mother, now greyed with age but no less cold, had entered his chambers. He stood still on the podium and allowed her to hum appreciatively at the sight of him clad in his father’s ceremonial robes complete with sashes and medals pinned to his front in neat rows. “You look handsome,” She mused “You look like a king who knows how to lead his people, a king who is doing the right things to protect his kingdom.” Remaining silent, he stepped down from the podium and set about cleaning himself up in anticipation for his impending fate which seemed to hang about the room, casting it in a terribly awkward atmosphere as his mother watched him carefully. Standing, she approached and silently rearranged the hairs so that they sat in a perfect fashion, gelled into place. “Are you not excited to marry the Princess?” She asked him as she carefully watched his face which remained blank and stony as he adjusted his sash and slipped his shoes onto his feet.

“Of course, Mother. Marrying the Princess is the best move for an alliance between kingdoms, and as king I have to do what’s best for my people.” 

His response earned a hum of satisfaction as she offered her hand which was accepted to allow him to guide her down the stairs of the castle to the front door where a line of guards were waiting, dressed in their uniforms and beaming proudly at the prospect of being part of such a momentous day for their kingdom. Though at the sight of them Taeyong felt a knot of nausea rise in his throat. He swallowed it down and proceeded to the car, helping his mother in and following suit, but as they proceeded to the church he began to pick at his suit slightly, working up the nerve to speak but eventually just blurting his words out. “I see that the soldiers are back from the war front.” He said lightly, trying to keep the anxiety out of his voice.

“Yes… Upon the announcement of the engagement between you and the neighbouring kingdom’s princess, her father insisted that we sign a treaty and allow the war to come to an end as a sign of good faith. The soldiers returned yesterday from the war front in time to act as guards for the ceremony.” 

They lapsed into silence for the remainder of the journey during which Taeyong could only absently stare out of the window until the church rolled into view, at which point they proceeded through the crowd of photographers and paused to pose for a few pictures before heading up into the church. The king reached to open the doors but paused at the sound of a guard interrupting.

“Let me get that for you, Your Highness.” The guard said as he lunged for the handle. Their hands brushed briefly and the king allowed himself to glance up into the face of the guard with what he hoped was a reassuring smile, which immediately froze as he took in the sight of familiar brown eyes and a soft smile.

“Johnny…” He breathed.


	8. Chapter 8

The sick knot that rose in his stomach seemed to squeeze tighter and tighter as the guests filled into the rows, casting their congratulations out to him as he stood there trying to keep his breathing under control so his mother wouldn’t see him sweat. His eyes could scarcely peel away from Johnny as he led a small squad of soldiers around the church to correct the flower placement before the arrival of the princess, something ached in his chest at the sight of him, so close, yet so far away. Heat flushing in his cheeks wracked him with nausea as an order was barked and the soldiers scrambled out of sight as the visage of his soon-to-be wife filled his vision. 

She swanned up the isle and stood next to him with radiance that might have dazzled him on any other day but instead filled him with growing dread as the priest began to drone on with vows that Taeyong could barely hear over the pounding of his heart in his ears. A little nudge dragged him back to reality and he looked up to find the officiator and his bride staring at him with expectation. 

“Prince Taeyong, do you take Princess Yerim as your wife?” He repeated gently.

Glancing around, he saw the faces of his family, his people, staring back with creased brows at his hesitance. “I-“ He started “I- I need a moment please. I think I might have eaten something bad this morning and I think I’m going to be sick.” 

With finality he took off running away from the startled gasps and cries, trying to aim for the bathroom but instead pushing through another door to promptly collapse onto the floor and vomit as his ears rang with the sound of Johnny’s voice. “You always did know how to make an entrance, didn’t you?” came a voice and instinctively Taeyong looked up. Johnny. Standing over him in his uniform with that familiar smile. “What’s wrong My Prince? I know your mother wouldn’t allow you to eat before such a big event so something else must be making you sick…”

Silently, Taeyong rose to his feet and seized the man’s hands with a strange certainty “I cant marry her.” He declared “I can’t knowing that the way I feel about you hasn’t changed even slightly. Not even when I thought you were dead.”

Johnny seemed taken aback by his words “You don’t mean that, My Prince-“

“Yes. I do.”

“And what about your mother? Huh, Taeyong?”

“We-“ He stopped to think for a moment “We can run away… right now. We can run for as long and as far as we need to-“

“You wouldn’t be able to live with the luxuries you have. And they would probably kill us both if we ever got found…”

The prince tugged on the taller’s hands slightly and flashed a small smile as he shook his head slightly “I’d rather be dead than go ahead with this now, I would rather be happy and die by your side than live a life time of misery with my mother and a wife who deserves better.” With a press of a kiss to the side of Johnny’s mouth he pulled away slightly “So what do you say?” 

There were no words. Only a tug of a hand as the two stepped out into the bright unknown, together.

**Author's Note:**

> I was gonna write this as one big long story, but it didnt work out. So, its gonna be a multi chapter story. This fic was inspired by the song 'L'impasse' and let me know what you think about it so far!


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